- On June 29, Reuters writer Daniel Trotta headlined, "Cost
of war at least $3.7 trillion and counting," explaining:
-
- In June, when Obama claimed America's post-9/11 (Iraq/AfPak)
wars cost $1 trillion, he did what he does best - lied about how much,
in fact, was spent and projected, five or more times his figure.
-
- According to a June Brown University Watson Institute
for International Studies (WIIS) "Cost of War" report, up to
$5,444 trillion was spent and projected with all related expenses and obligations
included. More on that below.
-
- In March, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) made
its own estimate in an Amy Belasco report titled, "The Cost of Iraq,
Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11,"
saying:
-
- Post-9/11, America "initiated three military operations:"
-
- (1) Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in:
-
- -- Afghanistan (OEF-A), combined with an undeclared Pakistan
one; as well as small Global Wars on Terror (GWOT) in
- -- the Philippines (OEF-P);
-
- -- Horn of Africa (OEF-HOA);
- -- Pankisi Gorge (near Russia, completed in 2004);
-
- -- Trans Sahara (OEF-TS, in 10 North and Sub-Saharan
African countries);
-
- -- Caribbean/Central American (OEF-CCA) ones; and
-
- -- Kyrgyzstan (completed in 2004).
-
- (2) Operation Noble Eagle (ONE) for military operations
related to homeland and base security, including mobilizing National Guard
troops to protect military installations, airports, power plants, port
facilities, and other vital infrastructure.
-
- (3) Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), renamed Operation
New Dawn in September 2010.
-
- Through FY 2011, CRS lowballed a $1,283 trillion cost,
including:
-
- -- $806 billion for Iraq;
-
- -- $444 billion for Afghanistan;
-
- -- $29 billion for enhanced security; and
-
- -- an unallocated $6 billion.
-
- The full CRS report can be accessed through the following
link:
-
- http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL33110.pdf
-
- In 2008, Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes published "The
Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict," available
in book form from Amazon. Calling it a war of choice, they included current
and estimated future costs, as well as intangible ones, including:
-
- -- reduced capability to respond to other national security
threats;
-
- -- costly global anti-American sentiment;
-
- -- the price paid for falsely claiming America defends
human rights, civil liberties, and democratic values; and
-
- -- eroding Washington's soft power to influence political,
economic, environmental, judicial and other issues.
-
- Stiglitz and Bilmes suggested that America is in long-term
decline, a view shared by Chalmers Johnson, Immanuel Wallerstein, Gabriel
Kolko and others.
-
- WIIS' entire study can be accessed through the following
link:
-
- http://costsofwar.org/
-
- Produced by a team of economists, anthropologists, political
scientists, legal experts, and a physician, it discusses human, social,
political, environmental, and economic costs.
-
- This article covers the latter. It's disturbing enough
to question how much longer this nightmare can be tolerated, killing millions,
harming many more, laying waste to countries attacked, destroying a generation
of young men, and heading America for bankruptcy, tyranny and ruin to satisfy
out-of-control corrupted wealth and power interests.
-
- When totaling the known costs of war, including veterans'
medical and disability obligations, the amount way exceeds Stiglitz and
Bilmes $3 trillion estimate.
-
- Specific categories covered include:
-
- -- congressional war appropriations;
-
- -- supplemental add-ons;
-
- -- military related national debt interest;
-
- -- veterans' medical and disability costs; and
-
- -- war related international aid (State Department/USAID).
-
- Total Direct Outlays: $2,331.1 - $2,657.3 trillion
-
- -- projected future obligations through 2050; and
-
- -- social costs to veterans and military families.
-
- Total Outlays Through FY 2011 and projected medical and
disability costs: $3,215.1 - $3,991.3 trillion
-
- -- requested FY2012 Pentagon war spending;
-
- -- requested FY 2012 State Department/USAID Afghanistan,
Iraq and Pakistan spending;
-
- -- projected FY 2013 - 2015 Pentagon war spending with
45,000 troops withdrawn;
- -- projected FY 2016 - 2020 Pentagon war spending; and
-
- -- additional interest payments to 2020.
-
- Grand Total: $4,668.2 - $5,444.4 trillion.
-
- Additional costs include:
-
- -- medical care for injured veterans over age 65;
-
- -- expenses for veterans paid for by state and local
governments;
-
- -- promised $5.3 billion in Afghanistan reconstruction
aid; and
-
- -- other macroeconomic consequences of war, including
infrastructure and jobs.
-
- Post-9/11, in addition to Pentagon war spending, "$5,238.7
billion in constant dollars was appropriated for ostensibly non-war DOD
expenses" - the "base'' DOD budget through FY 2011.
-
- Military spending affects debt, interest rates, jobs,
and investment. While defense related employment increases, more productive
sectors lose out, resulting in a net overall macroeconomic loss. Also,
while military infrastructure grows, public infrastructure and investment
spending suffer, creating what some call an "infrastructure deficit,"
markedly increasing in the last decade to fuel America's war machine.
-
- Post-9/11, WIIS said direct and indirect war costs "have
been consistently minimized, misunderstood, or hidden from public view,"
including shocking human costs and enormous future obligations. Undiscussed,
taxpayers don't know where their money goes, how much, for what, how long,
or why.
-
- Overall it's vital information people need to know to
let them decide if it's worth it. It never is, despite duplicitous national
security claims. Only imperial interests and war profiteers gain at the
expense of people needs losing out for them.
-
- A Final Comment
-
- Besides known trillions for wars (not people and other
homeland needs), Pentagon officials spent unaccountable trillions more.
On September 10, 2001, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld admitted:
-
- "According to some estimates, we cannot track $2.3
trillion in transactions."
-
- Defense Finance and Accounting Service analyst Jim Minnery
said:
-
- "We know it's gone. But we don't know what they
spent it on." He risked his job exposing Pentagon corruption. So much
so, his boss asked, "Why do you care about this stuff?"
-
- Shortly afterwards he was reassigned to let grand theft
Pentagon press on, free from whistleblower oversight. Years later, Spinney
said he believed the problem got worse, saying:
-
- "The books are cooked routinely year after year."
-
- Even retired Vice Admiral Jack Shanahan said, "With
good financial oversight, we could find $48 billion in loose change in
that building, without having to hit the taxpayers."
-
- In fact, a June 2001 Senate Governmental Affairs Committee
study titled, "Government at the Brink" exposed pervasive unreliable
financial oversight throughout Washington. Nonetheless, initial FY 2002
budget appropriations rewarded the very agencies at fault, practically
accused of cooking the books.
-
- Moreover, former HUD Assistant Secretary/Wall Street
official/current Solari, Inc. head Catherine Austin Fitts once said:
-
- "Total (DOD and HUD) undocumented accounting adjustments
(for FYs 1998 - 2000) amount to a whopping $3.3 trillion. (In addition,
the) Department of Defense has failed to produce independent audited financial
statements since" required to do so in 1995. HUD's Inspector General
(also) refused to certify (its) 1999 financial statements."
-
- As a result, America's business isn't just war. It's
grand theft Pentagon and throughout Washington to steal unknown trillions,
staggering amounts going back years.
-
- Post-9/11, it's greater than ever because bipartisan
criminality OKs it, profiting also from campaign contribution kickbacks
and hidden favors. Let the good times roll. Only taxpayers lose out.
-
- Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at
lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
-
- Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and
listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive
Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central
time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy
listening.
-
- http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.
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